There are a number of meat dishes which are prepared by using meat pieces of a certain size cut off from cattle meats (for example, beef, pork) or fowl meats (for example, chicken, duck) or molded materials (for example, hamburger steak) comprising minced meat obtained from these meats as the main component together with vegetables and seasonings. In the case of these dishes, it is desirable that the meat is eaten in a state of having an appropriate tenderness and being rich in meat juice (i.e., being highly juicy) containing the taste components, regardless of the cooking procedure, e.g., grilling (for example, grilling over an open fire, baking in a casserole or grilling on a cooking plate such as a frying pan), frying or deep frying. In the case of a steak or a cutlet prepared from not a molded material but a meat piece of a large size, the tenderness and the juiciness are important factors for providing a delicious meat product. In the case of a molded material such as a hamburger steak, it is desirable that the product is eaten in a state of having a fluffy and smooth texture. However, such a meat piece or a molded material comprising minced meat as the main component as the one described above is generally tend to become hard and tough when heated. It also has a tendency to lose the meat juice. Furthermore, a meat with poor qualities becomes not only hard but also sinewy and thus suffers from a serious deterioration in the texture. Accordingly, it has been required to develop a method for improving the qualities of a meat which makes it possible to provide a tender and delicious meat product having a good texture even by using such a meat of poor qualities as the one described above.
Some methods have been proposed to improve the qualities of meat (for example, tenderizing the meat or improving the keeping qualities thereof). For example, JP-A-49-20353 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application) discloses a method wherein an organic acid monoglyceride (for example, acetylated monoglyceride) is used. Further, JP-A-4-278063 discloses a method wherein protease is used.
Another methods have also been proposed with aiming at obtaining fluffy and/or highly juicy molded product comprising minced meat as the main component. For example, JP-A-1-228427 discloses a method wherein an edible fat and oil, a natural wax and a surfactant for edible use are added to meat. Further, JP-A-5-176721 discloses a method wherein an oil-in-water-in-oil type emulsion is added meat.
However, none of these method can achieve any satisfactory improvement.